A portable hand held optical reader having a specially constructed two-dimensional image sensor array is operational in a bar code decoding mode and in a picture taking mode. The specially constructed image sensor array, in one embodiment, is a hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array, wherein a first subset of the pixels are monochrome pixels devoid of wavelength selective color filter elements and a second subset of the pixels are color sensitive pixels including wavelength selective color filter elements.

Claim:

I claim:

1. A method comprising: providing an optical reading device, wherein the providing includes providing the optical reading device to include an image sensor array and an imaging lens,wherein the image sensor array includes a first subset of pixels and a second subset of pixels, the first subset of pixels being monochrome pixels without color filter elements, the second subset of pixels being color pixels having wavelength selectivecolor filter elements, wherein a pixel count of the first subset of pixels is larger than a pixel count of the second subset of pixels, wherein pixels of the first subset of pixels have higher light transmissivity than pixels of the second subset ofpixels; generating monochrome image data and color filter array image data utilizing the image sensor array, the monochrome image data having a first resolution, the color filter array image data having a second resolution, the first resolution beinggreater than the second resolution; processing color filter array image data for output of a color frame of image data having a resolution greater than the second resolution, wherein the processing includes utilizing monochrome intensity information ofthe monochrome image data; outputting a color frame of image data, the color frame of image data having a resolution greater than the second resolution.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the optical reading device includes providing the image sensor array so that the pixels of the second subset of pixels are uniformly or substantially uniformly distributed throughout the imagesensor array.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the optical reading device includes providing the image sensor array so that a pixel of the second subset of pixels has eight adjacent monochrome pixels.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the optical reading device includes providing the image sensor array to include red, green and blue pixels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the optical reading device includes providing the image sensor array to include magenta and cyan pixels.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing includes de-mosaicing the color filter array image data for providing of a de-mosaicized color image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing includes processing the color filter array image data so that the color frame of image data for output includes pixel positions corresponding to each pixel of the image sensor array.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing includes determining a color intensity value for pixel positions of a color image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing includes determining a color intensity value for pixel positions of a color image utilizing color values of a plurality of colors by calculating a weighted sum of a plurality of color values,wherein the plurality of color values are weighted unequally.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second subset of pixels includes red, green and blue pixels and wherein the processing includes determining a color intensity value for a pixel position of a color image utilizing red, green and blue colorvalues.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second subset of pixels includes red, green and blue pixels and wherein the processing includes determining a color intensity value for a pixel position of a color image, the determining includingcalculating a weighted sum of red, green and blue color values, wherein the red, green and blue color values are weighted unequally.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting includes outputting a visual display frame of image data having a resolution equal to a pixel resolution of the image sensor array.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting includes outputting a visual display color frame of image data to a display.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting includes outputting a visual display color frame of image data to memory.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating includes reading out a single frame of image data from the image sensor array.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating includes reading out a plurality of frames of image data from the image sensor array.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the utilizing monochrome intensity information includes calculating for a common pixel position of a monochrome image and a color image an intensity value delta between a monochrome intensity value and a colorintensity value for the common pixel position.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the utilizing monochrome intensity information includes calculating for a common pixel position of a monochrome image and a color image an intensity value delta between a monochrome intensity value and a colorintensity value for the common pixel position, and updating color values of the color image for the common pixel position utilizing the intensity value delta.

19. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the providing step includes the step of providing an optical reading device that is capable of reading bar codes.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing step includes the step of providing a portable optical reading device that is capable of reading bar codes.